Automatic pistol and rifle.



W. J. WRITING.

AUTOMATIC PISTOL AND RIFLE.

nrmouxon FILED 11.2.1909.

944,-, 930, Patented Dec. 28, 1909.

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W. J. WHITING.

AUTOMATIC PISTOL AND RIFLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9, 19094 944,930. Patented Dec.28, 1909.

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Patent/ed D60. 28, 1909.

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WITNESSES INVENTORWJZZM (fa/@23 2? dwxgw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM JOHN WHITING, OF HANDSWORTH, NEAR BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

AUTOMATIC PISTOL AND RIFLE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J OHN VVHrrme, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 111 Antrobus road, Handsworth, near Birmingham, England, director of public company, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Pistols and Rifles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to automatic hand firearms (including pistols and rifles) of the reciprocating breech-block or breechslide type, and has for its object, to provide improved means for automatically arresting and locking the breech-block or breech slide in its open position after the last cartridge from the magazine has been discharged, so as to afford an indication to the shooter that the magazine of the pistol or arm is empty. The arrangements that have hitherto been devised and used for this purpose have been dependent upon the magazine spring, which, after the discharge of the last cartridge, actuates a locking limb, slide or stop and moves the same into such engagement with the breech slide that the latter is prevented from closing. But according to the improved arrangement which constitutes the present invention, so long as there is a cartridge remaining in the ma azine, the ma azine spring is made to act, t irough the sai cartridge, for holding the breech-slide latch or locking device out of action, or in an inoperative position, whereas after the last cartridge has been loaded into the bar rel-chamber, the magazine spring ceases to influence the said latch but the latter is then acted upon solely by another and weaker spring which is normally overpowered by the said magazine spring, so that on the breech slide recoiling when the last cartridge is fired, the latch is shifted into an operative position in which it engages with and prevents the return of the said slide. And when the empty magazine is replaced by a fully or artially-charged one, the cartridges in the atter again make connection between the magazine-spring and the latch so that after the latter has been disengaged and the breech-slide allowed to close, the said magazine spring again over-powers the weaker latch-engaging spring and functions to retain the said latch in its inoperative position for so long as a cartridge remains in the magazine to transmit the efl'ort of the said magazine-spring to the latch.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. April 9, 1909.

Patented Dec. 28, 1909.

Serial No. 488,916.

Figure 1 of the said drawings represents the pistol in longitudinal vertical section with the parts in the positions they assume when the breeclrslide is closed and when the magazine contains cartridges for transmitting the eifort of the magazine s ring to hold the breech-slide latch out 0 action. Fig. 2 is a similar view but shows how the breech-slide is locked open by the latch device after the discharge of the last cartridge and also shows how the springdifted magazine platform is stopped or held clear of the said latch so that the latter is influenced only by its engaging spring. Fig. 3 is a view illustrating how the latch is disengaged to permit of the closing of the bolt after the empty magazine is replaced by a fully or partially charged one. Fig. 4 is a sectional view, upon an enlarged scale, of a part of the pistol, showing more clearly the stops which determine the position of the spring-lifted platform when the magazine is empty and prevent the latch being in any way influenced by the said spring. Fig. 5 is another sectional view on the same scale as Fig. 4, but taken on the dotted line a; Fig. 2 and showing the engaging latch in end ele vation. Fig. 6 shows the latch and the part on which it is mounted separately.

The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawin s.

The andle part a of the frame of the pistol is of substantially the ordinary construction and is adapte to receive an ordinar magazine I), which is fitted internally with a latform c and a platform lifting spring The upper open end of the said magazine is also formed, on its opposite sides, with the usual inwardly overhanging lips e (see Figs. 2 and 4) against which the upper cartridge in the magazine is made to take its bearing and be thereby held in the roper position for insuring that same shall Be ushed endwise out of the magazine and 10a ed into the barrel 9 of the pistol, by the breech slide during its return or closing movement. hese lips also serve as stops against which the magazine platform is lifted (see Fig. 2) after the loading of the last cartridge into the barrel and which prevent the magazine spring from influencing the breech-shde latch when the magazine is empty. The said breech slide latch is marked it, and consists, in the particular arrangement shown, of a rocking limb or lever which is pivoted at it within a slot in the top-side of the sear 2' of the firing mechanisn'i, so that the device is mounted underneath the center part of the breech slide, and has one end h extended forwardly so as to come above the uppermost cartridge in the ma azine and receive therethrough the effort 0 the magazine-s Jring, whereby the said latch is retaine in the idle position shown in Figs. 1 and 3. On the other hand, the rear end of the latch, which is constantly influenced by the relatively Weaker engaging-spring j, lies within a groove that is machined along the underside of the breech-slide and is, for a suitable distance from the front of the said slide, cut to a deeper section so as to provide, at the junction of the shallower with the deeper part, a shoulder or step In for the rear end of the locking lever to engage with, as shown in Fig. 2; the said en a ement being effected, as already explaine by the spring j, which becomes 0 erative immediately the latch is relieved o the disengaging influence of the magazine spring, with the result that the breech slide is locked open on reaching the limit of its rearward or recoiling movement after the dischar e of the last cartridge. When thus locke open, the breech slide is subjected to the forward thrust or closing influence of the tensioned return or reaction spring of the pistol, and this thrust tends to keep the shoulder is in effective engagement with the rear end of the latch so that the locking action is not dependent upon the spring 7'. The release of the slide may be effected, on the insertion of a charged ma azine, by easing back the said slide sufficient y to relieve the thrust of the return spring from the latch and thus allow the latter to be tilted clear by the magazine spring pressure which is transmitted throu h the cartridges, but in order to facilitate the release and reclosing of the slide, and also to provide for the closing of the same without the aid of the magazine spring, a releasing pusher such as n may be mounted in the top of the slide, preferably in such a manner that normall it is held clear of the latch by a spring device (such as the spring extractor 0) ut may be depressed onto the rearwardly extended end h of the latch (see Fig. 3) by the ap lication of pressure to the outer end.

In addition to forming the shoulder or engagement for the latch, the fact that the forward portion of the groove is is deepened may be taken advantage of to admit of the said latch being also used as an ejector device, as when the breech slide is recoiling backward and is withdrawing the empty shell from the barrel, the said deepened part of the groove admits of the forward extremity of the latch being positioned, by the thrust of the ma azine spring, in the path of the extracted she I which, as the breech-slide approaches the limit of its recoiling movement, is made to forcibly impin e against the said extremity of the lever and be thereby smartly ejected from the arm. A further advantage arising from the formation of the engaging shoulder or step in the top of a groove that extends along the underside of the breech-slide is that there is no risk of the cartridge rims catching in the said shoulder as they are extracted from the barrel and which might otherwise occur and block the working of the weapon.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an automatic firearm of the class embodying a reciprocatory breech block, a magazine having a cartridge feeding spring, and a latch for locking the breech block from movement after the cartridges have been exhausted from the magazine, said latch being automatically moved into an unlocked position by the engagement therewith of the topmost cartridge contained in the magazine during the insertion of a charged magazine.

ln an automatic firearm of the class em bodying a reciprocatory breech block, a magazine having a cartridge feeding spring, and a latch normally tending to lock the breech block in open position and after the cartridges have been exhausted from the magazine, said latch having a part adapted to be engaged by the topmost cartridge contained in the magazine and automatically tripped thereby upon the insertion of a filled magazinc, the said latch being also held in an inoperative or tripped position under the influence of the cartridge feeding spring of the magazine,

3. In an automatic firearm, the combination of a barrel, a reciprocatory breech block, a magazine having a cartridge feeding spring, and a latch having a spring for moving it into an operative position to lock the breech block, said latch having a part con structed and arranged to be engaged by the topmost cartrid e in the magazine during the insertion o the latter to unlock the breech block, the cartridge feeding sprin of the magazine being of a strength greater than that of the latch spring and acting upon the latch through one or more cartridges in the magazine to retain said latch in an inoperative position until the cartridges have been exhausted from the magazine.

4. In an automatic fire arm, the combination of a barrel, a reciprocatory breech block, and a movable ma azine having a cartridge feeding spring, 0 a locking latch for the breech block, said latch being movable in substantially the direction of movement of the magazine and arranged to be engaged by a cartridge in the magazine to automatically trip it when a filled magazine is inserted and to be held in an inactive position under the influence of the magazine spring, and a spring for moving the latch in position to lock the breech block after the magazine has been emptied, said second spring being overpowered by the magazine spring while the magazine contains one or more cartrid es.

5. In an automatic fire arm, the com bina tion of a barrel, a movable breech block. and a magazine havin a cartridge feeding spring, of a locking latch for the breech block mounted in rear of the magazine having one end to engage the breech block and its opposite end overhanging the magazine to be engaged by the spring-actuated cartridges therein whereby said latch will be held in an inactive position.

(i. In an automatic fire arm, the combination of a barrel, a reciprocatory breech block, and a movable magazine having a spring-pressed follower, and means for limiting the movement of said follower, of a locking latch for the breech block movable in the plane of movement of the magazine and capable of engaging and lockin the breech block in open position and havlng a portion overhanging the magazine and arranged to be engaged by a spring-pressed cartridge therein, said latch being free of the influence of the magazine spring after the magazine has been emptied.

T. In an automatic fire arm, the combination of a barrel, a reciprocatory breech slide provided on its under side with a longitudinal groove having a shoulder, and a magazine having a cartridge feedin spring, of a locking latch for the breech side, a spring acting on said latch to move one end thereof into engagement with the shoulder in the longitudinal groove of the breech slide and having its opposite end arranged to be acted on by a cartridge in the magazine, the cartridge feeding spring overpowering the action of the spring first mentioned to retain the latch in inoperative position while one or more cartridges are contained in the magazine.

8. In an automatic pistol, the combination of a barrel, a reeiprocatory breech slide, and a latch for locking the slide in open position after the cartridges in the magazine have been exhausted, said latch having a for \vardly extending end arranged to act as an ejector for the empty shells.

9. In an automatic pistol, the combination of a barrel, :1 reciprocatouy breech slide, a n'iagazine latch for locking the breech slide in open position after the magazine has been emptied, said latch having a forwardly projecting portion arranged to act as an ejector, a spring-actuated extractor carried by the breech slide, and a releasing device for the latch normally held in inoperative position by the extractor.

10. In an automatic fire arm, the combination of a barrel, a reciprocatory breech slide, a firing mechanism embodying a scar, and a latch mounted on the scar and capable of cooperating with the breech slide to lock it in open position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

IVILLIAM JOHN W'HITING. \Vitncsses:

HENRY SKERRETT, IIENRY NORTON SKERRET'J. 

